Dollars for Docs: Talk With Your Doctor

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/
You can print this page and show it to your doctor.

This database was last updated in October 2019 and should only be used as a historical snapshot. Newer data is available at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments site.

ProPublica's Dollars for Docs database lets you search for payments to U.S.-based doctors made by pharmaceutical and medical device companies between August 2013 and December 2018. The disclosure of these payments is required under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, a provision of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

About This Information

  • The information that appears here comes directly from the federal government. Companies must attest to its accuracy, and doctors have the ability to contest information they believe is in error.
  • This site includes payments for such activities as speaking, consulting, meals, travel and royalties. It does not include payments for clinical research.
  • It is legal for companies to make payments to doctors as long as the payments are not a kickback or inducement to use their products.
  • Some doctors say collaborative relationships, particularly those involving research, are necessary to develop new treatments and cures. But many ethicists have raised questions about the payments, and studies show that they may influence doctors' prescribing decisions.
  • Only you can decide if this matters to you and if so, whether you want to talk with your doctor about it. If you plan to talk with your doctor (or if you already have), please help us by filling out this short survey: propub.li/participate-d4d

Preparing for Your Conversation

If you decide you'd like to talk to your doctor about this, please keep in mind:

  • Many health care professionals in our database have similar names, so you should start by asking your doctor if the person mentioned in this payment record is really him/her.
  • Your doctor may not know he or she is listed as receiving payments, especially if the payments are small. You can direct your doctor to this site (the URL will be printed at the top of the payment record) or directly to the government's site here: https://openpaymentsdata.cms.gov/physician/161847
  • Some doctors are happy to discuss this information with you. Others might not be. The best approach is to ask questions and to not be accusatory.

Questions You Might Want to Ask

  • Is this you?
  • What type of work do you do with these companies?
  • Have you prescribed me any drugs that are manufactured by companies you've taken payments from?
  • Are there non-drug alternatives that I may want to consider first?
  • Are there less expensive generic alternatives to the drugs you have prescribed?
  • What devices have you used in my care that are manufactured by companies you've taken payments from?

Dollars for Docs: Talk With Your Doctor

https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/161847
If you spot an error, please let us know at [email protected].

This database was last updated in October 2019 and should only be used as a historical snapshot. Newer data is available at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Open Payments site.

JOSEPH THOMAS

Listed Specialty: Cardiovascular Disease
1124 W CARSON ST, RB-2, CARDIOLOGY, TORRANCE, CA, 90502-2006

2018 Payments: At a Glance

61

payments

$10,364

payment total

12

companies paid this doctor

Types of Payments

Category Payments Payment Value
Promotional Speaking/Other
 2 $7,500
Travel and Lodging
 4 $1,615
Food and Beverage
 54 $1,148
Grant
 1 $100

Drugs & Devices in 2018

Totals listed below account for all payments from that mention this product. Beginning in 2016, the government began classifying products as drugs, devices, biologics or medical supplies. Below, you will see drugs (drugs and biologics) and devices (devices and medical supplies). If a payment record mentions more than one product, the entire value will be included in each of those products. When no products are listed, they are not included in the list below.

Product Name Product Type Payments†
CS300

device

 $8,500
VASOVIEW

device

 $653
EMBLEM

device

 $157
Payments with no listed product

N/A

 $133
QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR

device

 $119
XARELTO

drug

 $108
GENERAL THERAPIES

device

 $105
CHANTIX

drug

 $89
ELIQUIS

drug

 $89
IMPELLA

device

 $69
RESOLUTE

device

 $55
WOLVERINE

device

 $53
RESONATE

device

 $44
AZURE

device

 $38
ENCORE

device

 $31
INOGEN

device

 $28
PRALUENT

drug

 $25
LEXISCAN

drug

 $24
ACUITY

device

 $21
EP-WORKMATE RECORDING SYSTEM

device

 $20
† May not add up to dollar total at top of page, since a payment record may not be associated with any product or can be associated with several products.

For ease of printing, only the 20 drugs and devices with the highest payments are displayed. For a complete list, please visit: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/161847

Payment Details

When How Much Related To What For From Third Party Payee
May 24, 2018 $4,500 CS300 Promotional Speaking/Other MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Aug 13, 2018 $3,000 CS300 Promotional Speaking/Other MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
May 24, 2018 $544 CS300 Travel and Lodging MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Aug 13, 2018 $419 CS300 Travel and Lodging MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Jul 16, 2018 $330 VASOVIEW Travel and Lodging MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Mar 29, 2018 $323 VASOVIEW Travel and Lodging MAQUET CARDIOVASCULAR U.S. SALES, L.L.C.
Aug 27, 2018 $119 QUADRA ASSURA CRT DEFIBRILLATOR Food and Beverage ABBOTT LABORATORIES
Aug 29, 2018 $100 GENERAL THERAPIES Grant BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION LOS ANGELES BIOMEDICAL RESEARCH INSTITUT
Dec 5, 2018 $100 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Jan 18, 2018 $96 EMBLEM Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Feb 22, 2018 $41 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Jul 23, 2018 $36 EMBLEM Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Dec 13, 2018 $33 No Listed Product Food and Beverage BIOTRONIK INC.
Oct 15, 2018 $32 RESONATE Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Apr 23, 2018 $30 WOLVERINE Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Nov 15, 2018 $28 IMPELLA Food and Beverage ABIOMED
Aug 31, 2018 $28 AZURE Food and Beverage MEDTRONIC VASCULAR, INC.
Mar 6, 2018 $28 INOGEN Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION
Feb 13, 2018 $25 PRALUENT Food and Beverage REGENERON HEALTHCARE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Jun 13, 2018 $24 EMBLEM Food and Beverage BOSTON SCIENTIFIC CORPORATION

For ease of printing, 20 payments are displayed, the largest appearing on top. For a full list of payments, please visit: https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/doctors/pid/161847

Note: We have made some effort to normalize the data and eliminate duplicates, but the data is primarily as it has been reported by the companies to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. To purchase the normalized data, please visit the ProPublica Data Store. If you spot an error, please let us know at [email protected].

This site includes data published by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on June 28, 2019.